10.05.2018 – Tan when you can (Abu Dhabi)

…and sunburn if your skin is a little bitchy something. So yeah, beach day at Saadiyat beach today, so a taxi ride to get started with – I knew it’s a bit to go but was surprised how far it’s as away. It somehow looked closer on the map to be honest. But in a taxi with air condition on full power you were able to survive – especially since on the day it’s really been windy so you didn’t feel the heat as much as you usually do.

At the beach I got a discount for the ticket because the cashier lady had no proper change and thought I was also living and working in Abu Dhabi- and I played along 😉 so I got myself an umbrella and chair as well, and it was so amazingly relaxing, though the wind really had turned the sea into a rough one with quite some waves. But as I love challenges, I again and again went for little swims and in between chilled in the water and did some tanning (I was laying there with an eye on my clock to not burn xD). It was so relaxing, to doze off in the shade, hear the sea and smell it and just daydream away.

I did that for quite a few hours but at some point I was exhausted from…what exactly? I don’t know, it was just time for going back to the hotel, especially because on my upper legs my skin showed what I thought was a little allergic reaction to something. At the hotel I noticed that it had not been allergic reaction, but rather the beginning of my sunburn that mostly hit my back and shoulders again. The slightly cloudy sky and the wind made it dangerous – so yes, I looked like a grilled chicken or a lobster when it comes to the color of my skin. The look into the mirror really made me angry because I was worried that it might out the desert Safari into danger – it was due tomorrow and I was so looking forward to it.

With such things, I always get annoyed with myself. It’s so stupid to get a sunburn,I mean really? The result was me trying to find a damned supermarket that has a proper after-dinner lotion stronger than mine and most importantly has a sunprotection of 50+ since the 30 one I had been using seemingly was not enough anymore. Ended up walking 1.5km to find one that had what I needed – rushed back to the hotel to start the fight against the more and more painful becoming sunburn…cold towel (aka soak it in water and stuff it into the mini fridge because there is no really cold water), aloe vera gel…all I didfor the rest of the day was battle for being well the next day.

But overall it’s been a day I really needed – no new experiences, no culture clashes. I noticed during my time at the beach how many experiences I had collected without noticing and that were left in the back of mind, not coped with…add the sunburn on top and you can imagine how often I woke up during nighttime xD